The present disclosure relates generally to peristaltic pump assemblies and, more particularly, to a peristaltic pump assembly and a regulator therefor.
Peristaltic pumps are often used to deliver fluid in a very controlled manner such as, for example, the intravenous delivery of medicine to a patient. The peristaltic pump may generally include a pump body having a cassette removably attached thereto, and a tube supported by the cassette. A fluid (e.g., medicine) flows through the tube, generally by increments, as the tube is occluded against a race formed in the cassette. Occlusion of the tube may occur by a compression force applied to the tube by the rollers in response to rotational movement of a planetary system of rollers driven by a motorized drive shaft.
In some instances, small variations in the size and/or location of at least some components in the pump assembly may cause at least some variation in the compression force. This may also lead to at least some variation in the load applied to the pump motor. One way of controlling at least some of these variations is to maintain a substantially constant force applied to the tube by the rollers. This may be accomplished by coupling each roller with a spring, where the spring forces the roller against the tube via a relatively constant force.